Winter rain lifts Coliban storages

Rainfall over the past three months at catchment storages across the region indicated one of the wettest winters for 15 years.

Coliban Water raw water supply manager Steve Healy said that during winter, inflows significantly higher than the 10-year average were received at the catchment storages near Kyneton.

“With the catchment area still wet from previous rain events, it resulted in our wettest winter since 1996,” he said.

“A total of 272 millimetres of rain fell over Malmsbury (reservoir) this winter, which is 30 millimetres higher than the long-term average and 48 millimetres higher than the 10 year average. Lake Eppalock received 177 millimetres of rain for the same period.

“Winter inflows were significantly greater than the 10-year average of 10,703 megalitres, with storages receiving a total of 31,060 megalitres.

“Long-term average inflows for the same period are 28,153 megalitres.

“Our catchment storages finished the season just above full capacity - 69,700 megalitres.

“Our share of Lake Eppalock was full at 55,867 megalitres and no water has been required to be pumped through the Goldfields Superpipe during winter.”

In the Coliban catchment, the Upper Coliban, Lauriston and Malmsbury reservoirs supply Bendigo, Heathcote, Castlemaine and Kyneton, plus rural customers in the region.

Spring looks to be drier for the region, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting a greater than 60 per cent chance of less than average rainfall across central Victoria.